Free flaps for the treatment of avulsion injuries in the feet.

Abstract

Forty children treated with free-tissue transfer for soft-tissue coverage of the dorsum of the foot were studied during a follow-up period that ranged from 3 months to 5 years after surgery. Avulsion injuries to the foot were commonly caused by being struck by a vehicle. In 37 of the 40 cases, radical debridement of all devitalized tissue, reconstruction of avulsed tendons and ligaments, and bone fixation were followed by free-flap cover as a one-stage procedure, and, in three cases, as a secondary procedure. Various flaps were used, and although no definite conclusions can be drawn as to which flap performed best, the newer, thinner type of fasciocutaneous flaps yielded promising results.